The arrival of PlayStation 5 has been met with many gamers being crazy about the console and also frustrated because of how difficult it was to get their hands on it. But now, availability problems have been solved and so we might find out we need a little bit more space on our consoles. How to expand Ps5 storage?
Overall, the console does boast to have 1 TB of space, but with system files taking so much space, in the end one might find out to only have little more than 600 GB which, with many modern games taking up a lot of space, might not be that much.
So, let’s look at the nitty gritty of how to expand PS5 storage by installing an SSD.
How to install an SSD on PS5
First of all, let’s take a look at what SSD are compatible with your PlayStation 5 console. The Sony console uses M2 drives, which are a fast and reliable type of solid-state drive that users can utilize to expand the storage space of their PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition console.
Along with making sure your console has the latest software update, these are the M2 requirements to install one on your console:
- Interface: PCI-Express Gen4x4 supported M.2 NVMe SSD (Key M);
- Size: from 250 GB to 4 TB
- Supported Sizes: 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110
- Read speed: 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended
- Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M)
As for the size, including the heat-sink, these are the measurements:
- Width: up to 25 mm
- Length: 30/40/60/80/110 mm
- Thickness: up to 11.25 mm (up to 8.0 mm from above the board, up to 2.45 mm from below the board)
For optimal performance, M.2 SSDs used with PS5 consoles necessitate efficient heat dispersion through a cooling system, which may entail a heatsink and a heat transfer sheet. These cooling structures can be attached to the M.2 SSD, whether in a single-sided or double-sided configuration. Alternatively, some M.2 SSDs come with built-in cooling structures, called heatsinks. To learn how to attach the heat dissipation mechanism, you can look up a guide or read the instructions included with the drive.
Installation process
Before proceeding with the removing process, in order to remove static electricity from your body, remember to touch a metal-grounded object. Any remaining static electricity may cause damage both to your SSD drives and the PS5 console. Remember to also not power on the console while the cover is off.
Arm yourself with a cross-head screwdriver and try to find a well-lit room to work in. To access the slot for the SSD, you should place the PS5 console on a soft surface with the disc drive side facing upward (which means it will be upside-down from its normal resting position). Then, grasp the top corner of the white cover and lift it up while sliding it toward the base.
It may require a bit of force, so be careful not to press too much on the console as it may risk damaging it. The best method should be pulling outward slightly and slide it down toward the base screw hole of the PS5, it should be off. Once removed, you'll see the slot for the SSD, which will be covered by a small metal plate.
This metal cover can be easily unscrewed with the mentioned screwdriver, letting you see the slot for the SSD. From there, it should be pretty smooth sailing. Insert the SSD into place, by clicking it, and then hold it in place with the screw and spacer that you'll find within (they're at the end of the slot marked with 110).
The size of your SSD will determine where to insert the the screw and spacer. But that should not be a problem, since it should be fairly obvious once the SSD is inserted into its slot.
You'll want the spacer underneath the SSD, and the screw to go through the semi-circular housing on the SSD's end, to secure it in place.
This concludes the installation, so now it's time to cover back the drive and put back the console. First, screw the cover back into its original place, then it will be time to reattach the plastic side of the console. Just slide it in be careful that it will click shut, then you can proceed to connect back the console to the power outlet and your television.
Formatting the drive
If everything has gone according to plan, the formatting stage should be definitely simple. Power up the PS5 and you should see a formatting screen, just let it do its thing and it should not take long.
A good method to save a bit of money is to actually get an SSD and buy a model without a heatsink, thus buying it separately might actually save you money. But that might be a tad more difficult then using the heatsink provided in the box, so perhaps check before deciding to go down that route.
Installing games on SSD
Once you have upgraded the storage space of your PlayStation 5, then you should be ready to use it. But how to actually use it? In order to download games from the PlayStation Store onto your solid state drive, you have to tell the console to do so.
Access the home screen and navigate to Settings > Storage > Installation Location to configure the console so that they'll be automatically installed on your new SSD.
Still, if you want to transfer games and applications that you have already installed on your console, follow these simple steps:
- Head to your game library and choose the data you want to move.
- Press the options button on your controller and select the "Move Games and Apps" option.
- If you're utilizing also an external storage drive, along with the internal SSD you have just installed, proceed to the Items You Can Move to M.2 SSD Storage tab.
- Then, just select the items you want to transfer, by using the checkboxes next to the items' names, then select Move.
If you want to check how much spce you have left on your SSD drive, along with moving or deleting data directly, it can be done so from the home screen. Just choose Settings > Storage > M.2 SSD Storage.